What do I do to learn Spanish?

When we made plans to come to Spain, I think that I underestimated the amount of effort that it would take to learn a second language. It is not that I thought I would pick Spanish up by osmosis, but I thought just living in Spain would be enough to learn the language in nine months. I quickly came to realize that it would require consistent effort and an intentional plan to reach my learning goals.

In this post, I want to share some of the things I have been doing to learn Spanish.

1)      Intentionally seeking opportunities to interact with Spanish speakers

Although there is an English speaking church near us, we intentionally decided to attend a Spanish speaking church. This has been a great opportunity to meet and interact with Spanish speakers (I say Spanish speakers instead of Spaniards because there are a lot of people who have immigrated from South America). The sermons are in Spanish, but translated to English, which provides a great opportunity to check if I am comprehending the speaker accurately.

On Monday evenings, I go to a men’s group that is organized by the church. I insist on speaking Spanish, even with some of men who also speak English, and they have mentioned how my speaking ability has improved dramatically over the past few months. I also volunteer at a local charity on Tuesdays and teach an English class on Wednesday evenings, which provides further opportunity to interact with Spanish speakers. I have tried a couple of times to set up a language exchange, in which I would meet with a Spanish speaker who is trying to learn English so that we could spend time conversing in both languages, but haven't been able to establish anything consistent.

2)      Speaking Spanish in the house when possible

Becky is definitely the most advanced Spanish speaker in the family and we try to speak Spanish to each other when possible. We still speak English when interacting with the girls or when we need to be precise with our communication, but this has been a great way to practice speaking.

3)      Listening exercises

I find listening much more difficult than speaking, reading, or writing, because Spanish is the second fastest language in the whole world. I have discovered the Easy Spanish channel on YouTube and use it for focused listening practice. The channel has a variety of street interviews with native Spanish speakers on a variety of interesting topics. I listen to the videos and try to write a transcript of the audio. The videos have subtitles, so afterwards I can check my accuracy.

The Easy Spanish channel has street interviews on various topics, with subtitles included.

4)      Listening to music

Unlike the following activity, I can listen to music while cleaning the kitchen or doing other chores. Numerous worships songs have been translated into Spanish and the YouTube videos often include lyrics if needed.

5)      Listening to sermons in Spanish

This is another activity that I do while cleaning the kitchen, although I am currently at the level of listening to “Gringos.” I am currently listening to a series from an American pastor who served for many years in Peru. It is harder for me to follow extended speaking from a native Spanish speaker, but I also listen to such sermons that Becky has through her Bible Study Fellowship group.

6)      Watching movies or shows in Spanish

My final listening activity involves watching movies or shows with Spanish audio and subtitles. I am currently enjoying the series Isabel, which chronicles the rise and reign of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand. The show has won awards for historical accuracy, so it has been interesting to learn more about Spanish history while also working on my language skills. I would recommend the show broadly, but the Amazon Prime version only comes in Spanish and Portuguese. 

If you think the current political scene is contentious, it is nothing compared to medievil Castilla (a kingdom that occupied much of current day Spain). It has been interesting to learn more about this pivotal period in Spanish history and practice my listening skills at the same time. 

7)      Flashcards

I have found a flashcard app called Ankidroid, which has been very useful. My deck changes each day based on how well I have mastered cards on previous days.

8)      Grammar workbooks

It may be old school, but I feel like I benefit from learning and intentionally practicing grammatical rules and structures. The local library has a section for foreigners with several workbook options to choose from.

9)      Reading novels

The same library section has a number of books written specifically for foreigners learning Spanish. They are graded readers with varying levels of vocabulary and grammatical complexity. I have found that mysteries are the best at keeping my attention.

10)   Free writing

My last strategy is one that I just started recently. I choose a topic and try to write an entire page without stopping to look up words or proper grammar. I basically try to write as a string of thought. Afterwards, I use Google Translate to check my work and make corrections.

So, how I am progressing towards my learning goals? I am definitely still far from fluent, but feel that I have made significant progress and that I will reach a useful proficiency before returning to the States. Listening definitely remains the most difficult skill. I am just trying to continue to work on it day by day. Becky and I have made a promise to each other that we are going to both continue to work towards fluency after returning from Spain. It is nice to have a training partner!

Do you any foreign language learning strategies that you have found helpful? If so, please share in the comments below.